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Orem • Millard's DonE Fullmer likes to wait for his opponent to make a mistake, and then make his move.
Those mistakes, apparently, have been coming early.
Official records show the Eagle senior winning his first match of the Class 2A championships Friday in just 11 seconds, though the hulking Fullmer disagrees with that mark.
"It was 9," he said with a laugh, "but who's counting?"
The quarterfinals provided Fullmer with what may constitute a test for last year's 182-pound champion now wrestling at 170. His first take-down attempt landed out of bounds, as did his second.
But, once again, it didn't take long for another opportunity to arise. Fullmer saw Gunnison's Dylan Peterson standing a little too tall, so he dove underneath him and grabbed hold of both his legs.
This time, the pin came after 1 minute and 39 seconds, and added to Millard's first-day lead. Heading into Saturday's semifinal and championship matches, the Eagles boasted a score of 147.5. Beaver stands in second at 115.5.
Sitting in third place, with a score of 100, are the Wolves of North Sevier.
"We can pull it off," said 145-pounder Brendon Sorenson. "We just have to wrestle tough and get pins whenever we can."
Sorenson bounced on the balls of his feet as he awaited his quarterfinal matchup with Enterprise's Jessie Williams. Once on the mat, Sorenson turned a reversal into a second-round pin. The junior now finds himself on track to repeat as state champion.
"I don't want to sound cocky, but I have it my mind that I'm going to take it," he said. "I just have to do my best, and hopefully I'll come out on top."
Manti's Kameron Fowles, meanwhile, knows he and his teammates are young, but says they're gaining valuable experience that should make them tough to beat next season.
In the process, the junior hopes to take home some personal hardware.
He closes his eyes and pictures the moves he will use on his opponents. He's just two more wins away from the 126-pound title.
"I have the mindset this year," he said. "Last year, I didn't have the mindset."
Twitter: @aaronfalk